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A New Study Reveals That Helicopter Parenting Is Unnecessary

Parents who find themselves hovering over their children all the time might want to take a step or two back from their kids. A new report suggests that helicopter parenting might end up doing more harm than good. In fact, some parenting experts are even calling it unnecessary.

According to Canada’s The Globe and Mail, being hyper-involved in your child’s life might only lead to parental exhaustion more than anything else. Helicopter parenting, along with lawn mower or attachment parenting, is when a parent pays extremely close attention to their child’s life, experiences or even problems, especially when they are at school and with their peers. Just like a helicopter, these moms and dads ‘hover’ over their kids while supposedly solving their problems for them. They also oversee every aspect of their lives without giving their child much room to make their own decisions, let alone breathe.

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That being said, a new study from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, says that this parenting style isn’t very effective. After observing and assessing 83 low-socioeconomic status mothers and their children, a team of researchers found that “good enough” parenting is the closest you can get to perfect parenting.

Lead researcher Dr. Susan S. Woodhouse says that as long as a parent responds to a baby’s cries or needs 50 percent of the time, the child will still feel attached to their parent.

“It turns out that babies are pretty forgiving, and that there's a lot that you can get wrong and still have a secure baby,” Dr. Woodhouse added.

Luckily, there are several different ways and steps that parents can take to help stop helicopter parenting or overworrying in general. First and foremost, don’t hover over your child during every waking moment of their day. Definitely don’t make your child the center of your universe or label your child. Let them explore their world on their own, even without their parent by their side. And definitely don’t take things personally when your child doesn’t agree with you or has their own opinions. While you definitely want to be a “cool” mom or dad, it’s best to connect with your kids by loving, appreciating and respecting them for who they are.